Page Contents for Galveston, Texas

Statistics & Facts

Location

History & History-related items

City Attractions

Government

Organizations, Churches, and Sports.

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Statistics & Facts

The Texas state capital is Austin.
The population of Galveston is approximately 59,070 (1990), 47743 (2010).
The approximate number of families is 30,898 (1990), 19943 (2010).
The amount of land area in Galveston is 119.565 sq. kilometers.
The amount of surface water is 295.79 sq kilometers.
The distance from Galveston to Washington DC is 1258 miles.
The distance to the Texas state capital is 190 miles. (as the crow flies)
Galveston is positioned 29.22 degrees north of the equator and 94.89 degrees west of the prime meridian.
Galveston elevation is 20 feet above sea level.

Location

on island in the Gulf of Mexico connected to mainland Texas by causeways.
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History & History Related Items

The first known inhabitants were the Karankawa Indians. They lived on the island until driven off by Jean Laffitte's pirates in 1820. The island was actually "discovered" in 1528 by an European explorer and crew which was shipwrecked and captured for 6 years by the Indians. In 1785, the Spanish came back and named it Galvez after the viceroy of Mexico, Count Bernardo de Galvez. Leffite held the island as a haven for crime and called it Campeche. In 1821 the U.S. Government drove the pirate and group away. Pioneers later claimed it and founded Galveston
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Attractions

for information on Galveston Attractions.
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Galveston City Government

Galveston has a City Council/City Manager type of government